Hi to all,
I periodically get the following message in my event log:--
The browser service has failed to retrieve the backup list too many times on transport \Device\NetBT_FA311ND42. The backup browser is stopping.
This also seems to trigger all internet activity on this NT4 Server stops working. to resolve this I simply reboot the server,
This is our DC running NT4 SP6, it has 2 network cards (although only using 1).
before this event, the previous event (The browser was unable to retrieve a list of servers from the browser master \\xxxxx on the network \Device\NetBT_FA311ND42. The data is the error code.)
xxxxx is the name of different Pc's on our LAN.
Although internet access ceases inlcuding LAN traffic from the server (ie. I cannot ping a local lan address) everything else appears to fine.
Does anyone have any ideas why I am getting these errors which stop internet access, and how to stop them?
Many thanks in advance
Chris
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to stop participating on browser elections you need to edit the registry, using regedit.exe
Only know the key for NT (but should be similar wor w9x):
HKLM\System\CurrentControl
IsDomainMaster false
MaintainServerList no
keep in mind that these values should be true/yes on your PDC.
> what is the master browser?
the machine holding the list of all computers connected to the workgroup/domain. There are
exactly one master browser
multiple backup browsers
multiple potential browsers
the last ones are probably those which 'cause your truble, 'cause M$ insists on setting each computer to be a potential browser by default (even it is a 3kHz CPU;-)
Remove or disable the 2nd Nic if it isn't being used.
Its probably got a higher priority binding and it certainly isn;t going to find a browser list if its not connected.
Other problems may include an entry in your routing table going nowhere including another subnet default gateway.
This may explain the web browser shutdown
NT loves WINS. WINS has a higher priority lookup precedence than broadcast.
To this end install your server as a Wins server and use properly configured DHCP for your clients. I can't remember if its supported in NT but you can shutdown netbios broadcast over tcp/ip in win2k.
Just one more comment on master browers lists.
Microsft designed a heirachy approach in that if you turn on 10 computers at once and only one is the server, even if it loads last, the server WILL force an election and take control.
using the nbstat command will reveal extra numbers that basically determine the individual netbios names role.
> .. even if it loads last, the server WILL force an election and take control
yes, but only if the server is fast enough to participate in election. If the election finished before the server joins, it looses, aehm still had lost.
On the other side, if the winner (server) goes doen, another master browser claims to be the queen. If the former (down) server comes back, it will not get back the master browser property, nevertheless how fast it is.
See my last suggestion.
Many thanks for all the help from all,
It seems the best way forward for me to deal with this would be to remove the unsed NIC and to stop the browser service on the client PC's. (This may cause issues as some users will shortly be using VPN's to connect and I cannot get to their registry.).
Our PDC is on 24x7x365, so is there a way for it to be forced to remain as the master browser?
Chris
>Our PDC is on 24x7x365, so is there a way for it to be forced to remain as the master browser?
If your vpn clients are using correctly configured DHCP with a WINS server nominated then what i have written above about wins having higher priority in a netbios environment still holds.
netbios search order is:
local name cache, Wins, master browser broadcast, lmhosts, hosts , DNS.
> so is there a way for it to be forced to remain as the master browser?
no.
If the (P)DC goes down, another backup or potential browser claims to be the master browser.
AFAIK, there is only one solution to inhibit that another PC becomes master browser: no PC should initiate and/or paticipate at an browser election, see my registry suggestion
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by: ahoffmannPosted on 2003-03-18 at 12:23:46ID: 8161673
when you reboot the PDC, or even when the system is temporarily unavailable, election (fight) about who will become master browser starts.
When your PDC is back again, it'll be backup-master only.
If the winner of the election is a slow PC, you might get such errors.
Best is you tell all (most) of your clients not to participate at the browser election.
I'd recommend that only file-servers being master and/or backup and/or potential browser.